Source record
Soy
Hannah Ritchie (2021). Our World in Data. Our World in Data.
Key findings
- More than three-quarters of global soy is fed to livestock; only a small share (around 7%) is eaten directly by people as tofu, soy milk and similar products.
Record
- Source type
- Report
- Study type
- Review
- Topics
- Deforestation, Land use
- Geography
- Global, with a focus on South America
- Funding & conflicts
- Not recorded.
- Source quality
- Moderate evidenceWell-documented secondary synthesis of primary datasets.
Limitations
- Synthesises other datasets (FAO, Trase); allocation of soybean oil versus meal is a methodological choice.
Statistics we use from this source
- 77%Share of global soy used as animal feed
- 7%Share of global soy eaten directly by people
Claims this source supports
EnvironmentStrong evidence
More than three-quarters of the world's soy is fed to livestock; only around 7% is eaten directly by people.
Soy grown for tofu and soy milk is a small slice of the total. Most soy feeds chickens, pigs and cows.
Cite this record
Soy. The Balance of Health. https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/ritchie-2021-soy-drivers-of-deforestation